I would not worry to much your passwords are also stored by those web sites where you have an account,what's their security like to on the safe side you might check if when you are online whether any URL's have been accessed that you do not know,if so check them out with Google for any malicious intent.

The web sites should store passwords in a way that can't be read, but that's irrelevant. One security risk does not justify another.

It is unlikely that your stored passwords have been compromised, but it is a few minutes work to change them, which you should do from time to time anyway. Why fret about what could happen when you can make sure it doesn't?

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." (Albert Einstein)

Yes will re-set the passwords (done a check of history so know what sites I have visited since reloading xbuntu in November on this laptop)

Will reload xbuntu too anyway (not many files on this machine) - theoretically would it be possible for him to download any of the files from my machine onto his Iphone ?

I know any software install would ask for my password so not too worried about malware.

Think agreed because im knackered, momentary loss of judgment !

I work in windows ... and before you groan the original windows e.g the things that fill holes in walls on buildings, been working some late nights early starts for a few months now (cutbacks) worrying over architects scheduling etc fortunately being a worrier makes for a good project manager (as find all the mistakes made in the schedules) but its not great for peace of mind !

nelz wrote:It is unlikely that your stored passwords have been compromised, but it is a few minutes work to change them

A few minutes?! I am currently copying all my passwords from an encryped ASCII file into a secure database system called KeePassX http://www.keepassx.org/. It has taken me two evenings so far, a significant project.

That is without even changing them on the hosts on which they are used!

Unsolved mysteries of the Universe, No 13 :-
How many remakes of Anna Karenina does the World need?

Outerspace1978 wrote:Doh ......... im running xbuntu and was ask by someone who was desperate to make a call on a dead phone if he could charge from my laptop with the usb (was in London Kings cross station)

At the time I was logged onto work (citrix) I think I may have ended up using his data connection (was on my wifi with phone) / have I done the most stupidest thing ?

My understanding of the way these devices work is that if wifi was available, your laptop is unlikely to have connected via the phone network: the telcos prefer to offload onto the Internet, not the other way round. More likely, his phone's data connection piggybacked on your wifi.

Of course he could have been a deeply techy hacker and installed some toys of his own - but then I'll bet his exploit was not tailored to xubuntu!

Or, do you have some reason to think it went the wrong way?

"Klinger, do you know how many zoots were killed to make that one suit?" — BJ Hunnicutt, 4077 M*A*S*H

KeePassX has options to import files. It sounds like it would have been faster to convert your ASCII file into one of the supported format and then imported it.

But it still only takes a few minutes to change the important passwords, the ones of sites that hold credit card or bank details. There's no urgency to changng passwords for sites like this one, unless the person with the phone was fat and had a Wigan accent...

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." (Albert Einstein)

nelz wrote:KeePassX has options to import files. It sounds like it would have been faster to convert your ASCII file into one of the supported format and then imported it.

But it still only takes a few minutes to change the important passwords, the ones of sites that hold credit card or bank details. There's no urgency to changng passwords for sites like this one, unless the person with the phone was fat and had a Wigan accent...